Athletes of the Week

WTTR is proud to once again to highlight talented high school students in Carroll County with the WTTR Athletes of the Week. It’s awesome to see the students shine in their athletic abilities. This segment airs Wednesdays in both the 7am and 4pm hours, and you can also listen, replay, or share these segments On-Demand. For more information on this exciting segment, please contact Charlie Beckhardt. Website inquiries  can be sent to Dave Issing.

Week of March 10, 2021

Erick Stranko had a monster performance in leading the Westminster football team in their season opener. The senior RB/LB had a sterling 248 yards and two touchdowns on 21 rushing attempts as the Owls beat Liberty 21-6. On defense, he added 8.5 tackles, a sack, and forced a fumble.

Twin sisters Kathryn & Makenzie Hopkins, seniors on the Falcons girls cross country team, finished one-two in a 5K race on their home course at Winters Mill. Kathryn’s winning time of 19:48 was a personal record. Meanwhile for Makenzie, her second-place finish was 43 seconds better than last week, and signaled a return to her championship freshman year form, as she completes a recovery from multiple injuries.

Junior Ben Weller had two goals and two assists to lead the team in a double-overtime tie and a shutout win in the opening two games for the Falcons boys soccer team.

Meanwhile, Manny Gavidia was on the back end, anchoring a Winters Mill defense that only allowed one goal in the two games. Also a junior, he collected 13 saves over the course of the week.

Week of Feb 17, 2021

Carmaya Bowman had her way on the boards for a career-high 20 rebounds, 9 on the offensive glass, to propel the Manchester Valley girls basketball team to a win over Francis Scott Key.  Then despite a constant double-team from county champion Liberty, the sophomore forward still managed her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Manchester Valley’s Heathe Hernandez captured the second county championship of his career.  Wrestling at 160 pounds, the senior won with a fall in the semi-final round, and then concluded his career with a thrilling takedown in overtime to take home the county crown.

Week of Feb 10, 2021

Carmaya Bowman totalled 19 points, 23 rebounds, 8 steals, and 3 assists, boosting the Manchester Valley girls basketball team in wins over Westminster and Winters Mill.  The sophomore forward dominated inside as she recorded her third double-double of the season.

Senior guard Justin Sheetz led the Liberty boys basketball team to a 3-0 week, combining for 63 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals, and a 45% performance from the field.  In addition, he held the top scorer in the county to single digits in back-to-back victories.

Week of Feb 3, 2021

Samantha Hardy was a huge part of two victories for the Liberty girls basketball team.  The senior combined for 19 points, 20 rebounds, 14 blocks, and 14 pass deflections as the Lions took down Century and South Carroll, getting to 8-0 on the season.

Vinson Smith picked up a pair of pins in matches against South Carroll and Century.  The Manchester Valley junior wrestles at 195 pounds, and improves his individual record to 5-1.

Week of Jan 27, 2021

Alex Bull continues to shine for the undefeated Liberty girls basketball squad.  The senior guard/forward registered a combined 36 points, 19 rebounds, 9 steals, 6 assists, and made all 7 free throws in victories over Manchester Valley and Winters Mill.

Travis Green picked up his 4^th victory against no defeats with a pin at the 2:50 mark of the second period in a match against Key. The Manchester Valley sophomore wrestles at 126 pounds.

Noah Riley was clutch for the Century boys basketball team.  The senior scored 17 points and had 5 steals against South Carroll, hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 5 seconds remaining.  Later in the week he added 16 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.  In a tie game with only 2.4 seconds left, he knocked down the foul shot to clinch victory over FSK.

Week of Jan 20, 2021

Alex Bull led the Liberty girls basketball squad in a pair of victories as their season-opening winning streak reached 4 games.  The senior guard/forward scored 16 points and had 8 rebounds as the Lions bested FSK 73-30, and then came back with 19 more points and another 7 boards as Liberty prevailed 61-47 over South Carroll.

Grant Warner began his wrestling season with a pair of victories.  The Manchester Valley senior pinned his Westminster opponent in the second period, and then took down a top wrestler from Winters Mill in just 1:25.  Grant wrestles at 220 pounds and is coming off a state runner-up performance last year in the 4A/3A tournament.

Week for Jan 13, 2021

Taylor Leaman is a junior on the Manchester Valley girls basketball team. The 6’0” shooting guard/small forward hit critical back-to-back three-pointers to hold off Westminster in the Mavericks’ 41-32 season-opening win over the Owls. Taylor finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Karson Pavlik helped the South Carroll boys basketball team get off to a 2-0 start. The 6’4” junior began the season with a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Cavs’ 56-42 win over Westminster. Then he exploded for 31 points and added 8 rebounds as the Cavaliers took down FSK 63-42.